Cristiano Ronaldo bailed in rape quiz Friday, October 21, 2005
Ronaldo bailed
MANCHESTER UNITED star Cristiano Ronaldo was bailed late last night after being quizzed for more than seven hours in connection with an allegation of rape.
The 20-year-old midfielder had been arrested over an alleged attack on two women in a hotel penthouse suite. Ronaldo is understood to have told detectives he is "completely innocent".
The star, who earns £20,000 a week, went voluntarily with his lawyer to a police station in Didsbury to attend an appointment with detectives. Another man, who is understood to be a friend of the Portuguese international, also attended the station in Elizabeth Slinger Road but was not arrested.
Two women have claimed that Ronaldo and another man attacked them earlier this month in a £1,000-a-night penthouse suite at a hotel in London’s West End.
CCTV footage
Forensic scientists combed the room where the incident allegedly took place on Sunday, October 2, and CCTV footage from the hotel’s security system has been examined.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s sex crimes unit, known as Operation Sapphire, travelled to Manchester to interview the footballer and the other man in connection with the incident.
Manchester United’s assistant coach Carlos Queiroz said the accusations had no basis and Ronaldo was merely answering police questions.
Ronaldo's agent has fiercely denied the rape claims.
The accusations were "totally and categorically repudiated", Jorge Mendes said in a statement.
Mr Mendes said the allegation was "the product of imagination and fantasy".
He said: "As the investigations will demonstrate, these charges are not based on any credible facts and are clearly the product of the imagination and fantasy of the young lady."
Manchester United's director of communications, Phil Townsend, said: "We're not commenting at the moment."
Police said they could not confirm when the arrested man would be asked to return for further questioning.
A police spokesman said: “Two men attended by appointment at a police station in connection with an investigation following allegations of serious sexual assault at a central London hotel. “One man aged in his 20s has been arrested by the officers from Sapphire, the Met’s dedicated department investigating rape and sexual assault, on suspicion of rape. The second man aged in his 30s was not arrested.”
The spokesman added: “The man in his 20s has been bailed pending further inquiries to return at a future date.”
Manchester United director of communications Phil Townsend would only say: “We’re not commenting at the moment.”
The claims follow a series of high-profile cases involving sex allegations against footballers.
Evidence
In September last year, two Premiership players were interviewed over an alleged gang rape at the Grosvenor House hotel in London.
The Crown Prosecution Service later decided there was insufficient evidence for them to be charged.
Also last year three Leicester City players faced allegations of sexually assaulting three women in a five-star hotel on a training camp in Spain.
They spent six nights in jail there but all charges against them were dropped.
In January last year, rape charges were dropped against ex-Chelsea player Jody Morris and a friend after they were accused of raping a woman in Leeds.
Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie was held in jail in Rotterdam earlier this year after being accused of rape. He was released after two weeks and maintains his innocence.
